Two rookie police officers in New Orleans were fired Wednesday after they allegedly beat up a Latino man and called him a “fake American.”
Spencer Sutton and John Galman were arrested and charged with simple battery following the incident that occurred at a bar on Tuesday when the two former New Orleans Police Department officers were off duty. They pleaded not guilty to charges after a court hearing on Wednesday. Their bond was set at $1,500 each.
An ongoing police investigation will determine whether they will face more serious charges. A police and FBI task force is “actively looking into whether this case meets the elements of a potential civil rights violation,” an NOPD spokesperson told BuzzFeed News.
